Keeping Your Cool!
48 | Technical: Mobile Fridges
Portable fridge options explained and why one style doesn’t suit all… by Allan Whiting of Outback Travel Australia
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ortable fridges and coolers look much the same from the outside – they’re all insulated boxes with lids – but there are significant differences in the way they work and the type of energy they use. It’s necessary to know something about the ebbs and flows of the cooling business if you want to be sure of buying the right unit for your needs.
Ice Box Coolers
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he simplest and by far cheapest type of food and drink cooler is the faithful ‘Esky’: an insulated box with an insulated lid, into which you put ice that someone else has created. When you buy bagged ice, you’re actually buying a ‘slug’ of pre-packaged refrigeration. We’ve been checking these units for their insulating quality over many years and Coleman units are relatively expensive, but consistently do better than most others, keeping contents cool for several days, even in high ambient temperatures. lusses: Low price; relatively portable P on built-in wheels; doubles as a picnic ‘seat’; can be used for general storage when not cooling; zero maintenance. inuses: Bagged ice is not available in M remote areas.